Many people are saying that J Pesonen is a hit or miss signing. Meaning either forty goal scorer or hes back to the Finnish League. So that leads me to ask what if he turns into an Erik Christensen type player where the skills an attributes are clearly there and you see glimpses of an all-star(at times), but its not on a consistence basis and we are continually lead on by the player. I for years believed EC would develop into a forty goal scoring wing with the wrist shot he possessed and the stand handling that he had. Obviously this didnt pan out which brings me to my next question. How would EC fair in the Finnish league with much less hitting and a more open surface? I can see the gold helmet being worn by this man. Thoughts on the comparison or EC in that league?

I think the concern with pesonen is more size and strength than anything else. And I don't know about everyone else, but I never thought of EC as a potential 40 goal scorer. I was always thinking something like 20+20 was optimistic.

Only the tragically misinformed would ever believe that Eric Christensen exhibited "all star quality" at any time during his Penguin career. He had a good wrist shot, period. That was the extent of his quality.

Only because there is on hockey news will I throw myselfs to the wolves.

Bill, are you saying that EC ONLY had a wrist shot? I would say that you overlooked his ability to beat goalies like rented mule. Granted, it was shoot out only, but not many players can say they won games like EC did, in the shootout. Love it or hate it, he was valuable in that area and it directly contributed points to the team.

And I think EC is still developing. In particular, his mental game. I really do expect him to have a career year in hotlanta this year. Which, btw is not saying much, but look for him to continue to improve.

I've watched the Youtube highlights of Pezo. Where are the highlights of him getting put on his arse? Until we see him in NHL games, no one will know how he does, even the Pens scouts who pointed him out.

I think everyone had somewhat of an idea that EC was not gonna reach his full potential in Pittsburgh. He is a center by position and by trait. And we already have enough of those. In Atlanta, he will get a chance to center, possibly, the 2nd line. And let's not foolishly discount his potential and ability. He showed sparks every now and then while he was here. But I believe it was pretty evident that he is gonna be at his best playing elsewhere. Kid has a nasty quick wrist shot and he's got an arsenal of sick moves. It's just going to be all about him putting it altogether.

Christensen was, while he was here, a one-trick pony. If not for his wrist shot, he'd be a career minor leaguer at best. Even with it, that may well be where he ends up. This is his make-or-break year.

malkins-shoulder wrote:Many people are saying that J Pesonen is a hit or miss signing. Meaning either forty goal scorer or hes back to the Finnish League. So that leads me to ask what if he turns into an Erik Christensen type player where the skills an attributes are clearly there and you see glimpses of an all-star(at times), but its not on a consistence basis and we are continually lead on by the player. I for years believed EC would develop into a forty goal scoring wing with the wrist shot he possessed and the stand handling that he had. Obviously this didnt pan out which brings me to my next question. How would EC fair in the Finnish league with much less hitting and a more open surface? I can see the gold helmet being worn by this man. Thoughts on the comparison or EC in that league?

If Pesonen turns into EC, maybe Shero can find a way to package him for Gaborik, like how he turned the real EC into Hossa

Pesonen is hit or miss because he doesn't look like (from his stats and youtube) he would fit as a 3rd liner. We've seen how nice it is to have a strong grinding 3rd line that can play solid d, maintain puck possession, and score every once in a while. Pesonen does not appear to be that (I may be wrong). If he can't contribute solid time on the first 2 lines, he isn't much good to us and becomes one of those filler guys MT has to deal with placing on a nightly basis.

The best part about getting rid of EC and Colby besides Hossa was the fact that it allowed MT to put consistent lines together. He didn't have 4 maybes to put on the first line with Sid. I don't think it would be smart to give MT a bunch of maybes again and get the carousel of players on Sid's wing.

Hard to speculate. His shot being good doesn't translate to success in a European league.

Also, for the 10th time (;)), the Finnish league also uses small rinks. I'm not sure if they as small as in the NHL but they're smaller than in the other European leagues and those used in the olympics.

bill from turtle creek wrote:Only the tragically misinformed would ever believe that Eric Christensen exhibited "all star quality" at any time during his Penguin career. He had a good wrist shot, period. That was the extent of his quality.

Also, anyone actually seen that guy in person? He's a friggin super-TWIG. The guy has no meat, no size at all. He'll never compete with that matchstick body.

malkins-shoulder wrote:Many people are saying that J Pesonen is a hit or miss signing. Meaning either forty goal scorer

In one season or 4 seasons?

I still don't understand why you are all over this kid. You haven't even seen him play an NHL game yet and you are just reeling off criticism on him. Give the guy a chance and see what he can do before hurling off ridiculous remarks about someone who hasn't even stepped on NHL ice. It just sounds to me that you are rooting against Pesonen more than hoping he can crack the opening day lineup. I, for one, will be rooting for him all the way. I want to see a nice NHL story forming in Janne Pesonen. A guy whose been given an opportunity to play in the NHL and exceeding all expectations would make for a great story in the NHL this season.

I don't think it's fair to say Christensen is a one trick pony. If you're going to call him that, get the trick right - it's his shootout prowess that kept him in the lineup more than anything else - and in that respect he produced something tangible for the team because he was nearly automatic on shootouts and contributed to the Pens having very good shootout records the last two seasons. Those points make a difference in tight races.

Christensen also is strong on faceoffs and yes, does have a great wrist shot. I'd argue that his goal scoring ability in general is there. He knows how to finish. Look at his shootout goals. Remember that goal against the Devils in Jersey? He's a skilled player. He didn't make it in Pittsburgh because 1) they have three great, young centers above him, 2) he couldn't transition successfully to wing, and 3) he struggled defensively and physically, which is part of why he didn't make it as a wing. I thought as last season went on, he was getting more comfortable initiating contact and winning physical battles. I bet Christensen can be a decent second line center. Obviously, the Pens have no need for that.

If Pesonen is like Christensen and can't crack the top six, I don't think he's going to stick around. With a healthy lineup, the Pens have proper depth on the third/fourth lines without needing to plug a guy like Christensen in who doesn't fit, and as of now I think they have proper top six depth as well. I'm sure the Pens signed Pesonen with every intention of giving him a strong opportunity to make the team... I'm also sure that they know that the chances of pretty slim that he's going to come in and be a highly productive player. It's worth the gamble either way because there's no risk involved. I wouldn't be surprised if he's given a short trial period once the regular season starts since they have that luxury early on. He's going to have to produce to stick, bottom line. They've said that they picked him up with NOW in mind, not thinking about down the line.

The idea that Pesonen could play on the 3rd or 4th line is even more hilarious.

Yup... I don't see any use for him on the 4th line, and our 3rd line is going to be pretty defense oriented, I think.

But I'll say that until we see how he actually plays, it's hard to tell. For all we know, he may surprise us with his defensive prowess. Everyone is shooting from the hip on what kind of player he is at this point.

malkins-shoulder wrote:Many people are saying that J Pesonen is a hit or miss signing. Meaning either forty goal scorer

In one season or 4 seasons?

I still don't understand why you are all over this kid. You haven't even seen him play an NHL game yet and you are just reeling off criticism on him. Give the guy a chance and see what he can do before hurling off ridiculous remarks about someone who hasn't even stepped on NHL ice. It just sounds to me that you are rooting against Pesonen more than hoping he can crack the opening day lineup. I, for one, will be rooting for him all the way. I want to see a nice NHL story forming in Janne Pesonen. A guy whose been given an opportunity to play in the NHL and exceeding all expectations would make for a great story in the NHL this season.

Has Sidney Crosby ever scored 40 goals in a season? Nope. It just makes me laugh at the hype this man (26 is not a kid anymore) is getting. It makes ZERO sense to even pretend that 40 goals is possible.